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Old November 7th, 2004, 11:09 AM
George Neeson George Neeson is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Elizabethtown, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 195
Post Re: From the ground up ... an Adlerian primer??

The Antithetical Scheme of Apperception:

In the postings above you will see a theme that repeats again and again. Things like "Inferiority Feeling ... Fictional Goal of Superiority", "Elevate self ... Push others down", Above ... Below, Superior ... Inferior, Rich ... Poor, Great ... Small". These are kind of opposites although not precisely so, in the usual usage of language. They are called "The antithetical scheme of apperception" in Adlerian psychology. The patient (and indeed we ourselves) have a strong tendency to see concepts as diametrically opposed. In this construction there are no "mid tones" as we call them in photography! In truth there is almost never total black in front of a camera lens, nor is there total white. Even the surface of the sun is not totally white, there are whiter stars all over the sky. This antithetical apperception fits fully with the life style. If I am not the best, I am the worst. If I am not the most admired, I am the most hated. But either way "I am the most..." as Manu has pointed out in one of his postings from Richard III in his postings under Child Development, "And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover/To entertain these fair well-spoken days/I am determined to prove a villain..." That is a superb artistic expression by the artist of the Antithetical Construction. The King must be either most feared or most admired. God forbid that he should be a fellow man . The patient is caught in the cold steel jaws of his own leg trap that he carefully set for others, to draw that spot light to himself. There he moans and screams in his self created suffering. If you simply introduce him to the real world of all grey scales (in photography), his useless plan explodes. But since he is convinced he is " a nothing" you most first by gentle good will demonstrate to him that you regard him as a fellow traveller. No you do not admire the suffering he has created in himself nor the mischief he creates around him, but you do give him and experience of equality as one of the first loving corrections to his mistaken, antithetical direction.

Now lets also make this set of postings a further experience of equal folks who are seeking to understand this elegant theory. Adler on a number of occasions refers to Nietzsche, the philosopher. He refers to his concepts of "The will to power" and "The will to Seem". I would appreciate some scholarly assistance in this regard. I am not well educated as a physician. Can some one(s) talk a bit about Nietzsche's philosophy and how it connects with Adler's developing ideas? I would lead you astray if I tried because I do not know Nietzsche's philosophic position and I do not wish to misrepresent a very complex theory. Perhaps if you have some ideas about the will to power and the will to seem and how they fit with Adlers antithetical apperception notions, that would be a valued contribution. I would also be interested to hear what German words Nietzsche uses to express these ideas as well as a better English language clarification of what the German could mean.

Please note that at this time I am enjoying another study module with Henry, so my postings and responses may be a little delayed. Henry is such an encouraging and good teacher I would encourage anyone who has come this far in reading these postings to do some study with him. It is a wonderful and encouraging experience. (Commercial content courtesy of me )
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George Neeson M.D.

Last edited by George Neeson; October 27th, 2007 at 11:13 PM.. Reason: More spelling messes
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